Will a Heat Pump Help You Save Money on Cooling Expenses?

As a resident of Mount Pleasant, Texas, you undoubtedly know how hot the summers can get. Without air conditioners, summers would be unbearable. However, running the AC around the clock results in costly cooling bills, and it adds a lot of wear and tear to the system. What if there was a way to save money on cooling expenses without sacrificing your indoor comfort? There is, and it starts with the installation of a heat pump. Heat pumps provide optimal energy efficiency and give homeowners a way to save on both heating and cooling expenses.

How Does a Heat Pump Work?

It’s good to know how heat pumps provide cool air to understand how they save money on cooling expenses. A heat pump uses electricity to relocate heat.

During the cooling season, the heat pump moves the heat inside of your house and pushes it outdoors. It completes this process by evaporating the refrigerant that’s inside of the indoor coil. As the refrigerant evaporates, it collects heat from the inside of the house. Once the liquid gas compresses, it transports the heat into the outdoor coil. From this point, the gas condenses and releases the heat outside. As a result, it lowers the temperature inside your house.

Even on the coldest of days, there’s heat in the air. When the heat pump is on heat mode, it extracts this heat from the outside air and moves it inside of the house. Since heat pumps don’t produce heat — they move it from one spot to another — they’re extremely energy efficient.

If you’re using solely electric heat, a heat pump may reduce your electric consumption by up to 40 percent. During the cooling season, heat pumps reduce humidity better than regular AC units. Reduced humidity translates into less energy usage along with greater indoor comfort.

Versatility

Furnaces and central air conditioning systems require ductwork to move warm and cool air throughout the home. If there’s a hole in the ductwork, this warm or cold air escapes. As a result, the leak can make it difficult to keep the home at your desired temperature. It also adds unnecessary wear to the system because it has to work in overtime mode to heat and cool the home according to the setting on the thermostat.

When you pair a heat pump with a ductless system, there’s no need for ductwork. Not only does this translate into better cooling efficiency and lower cooling expenses, but it also minimizes energy loss because there’s no possibility of air escaping through the ducts. It also removes the need for a home to be near a natural gas line while still providing homeowners with an easy way to access affordable heating and cooling.

Geothermal Heat Pumps

Air-sourced electric heat pumps are very energy efficient. Some homeowners, however, have noted even greater cooling efficiency when upgrading to a geothermal heat pump. A geothermal heat pump can reach efficiencies between 300-600 percent by using the constant temperature of the ground as an exchange medium. Geothermal heat pumps can also use a nearby water source as their heat exchange medium.

Absorption Heat Pumps

Absorption heat pumps are most commonly found in commercial settings. However, they’re becoming more popular in large residential settings. Much like an air-source heat pump, an absorption heat pump moves heat from one location to another, but it doesn’t use electricity. Instead, it can operate on several other power sources, like natural gas or solar-heated water. Although it doesn’t make much sense to use an absorption heat pump in a home that has access to electricity, it’s a great option for saving money on cooling expenses in homes that rely solely on solar energy.

Want to learn more about the various ways heat pumps can help you save money on cooling expenses? Contact Wood Air Conditioning & Plumbing today at 903-285-6550 to speak with a service technician. You can also schedule an appointment to have your home assessed for a heat pump installation.

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